Conservation tillage practices have many positive effects that many Ukrainian farmers are aware of. Some of them have successfully implemented no-till or minimum tillage and have seen improvements in soil condition, moisture conservation, resource savings, and increased yields.

But not everything is as simple as it seems. No-till also has its drawbacks, which can affect business results. For example, it is difficult to apply fertilizers, suboptimal soil structure for seed germination and root development, delayed sowing due to slow soil warming, etc. This is especially true in cold years like this one.

So what to do? Is there an alternative to know-how that doesn't have these disadvantages? Yes, there is a technology that combines the best of classical and no-till tillage - strip-till. The idea is that the soil is cultivated only in the strips where the plants will be planted, and the row spacing is left untouched. This preserves soil fertility, protects it from drought, and also provides the benefits of strip-till plowing. Pay attention to the spare parts for your seeders, we have spare parts for Gaspardo, Monosem, Horsch, Kverneland, Kuhn and other brands.

One of those who have already seen the effectiveness of strip-till is Oleksandr Zatyshnyi, head of Agrofirma-Nadiya LLC from Kyiv region. He used to use the know-how before, but found himself in a difficult situation due to the cold spring.

"We were looking for a solution and turned to Agroterra, which offered a unique unit for strip tillage, the DAWN Pluribus Lite Strip-till," says Oleksandr.

This unit, manufactured by the American manufacturer DAWN Equipment, allows you to prepare the soil for future sowing in one pass, cutting strips with simultaneous fertilization. It has the following advantages

1. economical fuel consumption - 6 liters per hectare for a 16-row unit;
2. operates at high speed - 16-20 km/h;
3. does not require a large tractor power - 25-30 hp per 1 section is enough;
4. can apply fertilizer in the strips.

Oleksandr Zatyshnyi says that he has saved a lot of resources by using this machine: fuel consumption for pre-sowing tillage with simultaneous fertilization was only 5.3 liters/ha.

DAWN Pluribus Lite Strip-till performs three main functions in one pass:

1. Effectively removes crop residues from the strips, leaving them in the row spacing, which helps to preserve moisture, accelerate soil warming in the strips and protect future seeds from contact with the residues.
2. It cuts the strips to fit the depth of the seeder's working bodies; intensively mixes the soil in the strips, creating an optimal structure for seed germination and root development.
3. At the same time, it applies fertilizer to the strips.

It is worth noting that the 16-row unit does not require a powerful tractor. Pluribus can work with a tractor of 350 hp or more, while similar units from other manufacturers require 600 hp or more.

Strip-till is a technology that combines the advantages of plowing and tillage, preserving soil fertility, protecting it from drought, and obtaining an optimal soil structure for plant development. It can be an effective alternative to no-till in cold years when no-till shows its shortcomings. To implement this technology, you can use the unique DAWN Pluribus Lite Strip-till unit, which allows you to prepare the soil for future sowing in one pass, cutting strips with simultaneous fertilization. This unit has many advantages over competitors and proves its effectiveness in practice.